XBOX-HQ.COM - Videogames Treat ADHD Patients

Jumping on mushrooms has never proven so useful

For all the men and women in Washington attempting to legislate videogames, thankfully a few are looking at the medium in a different light. USA Today reports Florida researchers are finding videogames can help stimulate those suffering from attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or "cognitive-processing difficulties."

Henry Owens is a clinical psychologist from Melbourne, Florida working on the technology. The system hopes to help patients self-regulate their brain wave activity by commanding the videogames to actually stop responding when the player stops being engaged.

Owen's aim is to provide an incentive for increased focus and concentration. Interestingly, platform and racing games have provided the best feedback for Owens' research into the technology and its affects on patients.

Forgone conclusions are still some ways off, though, and USA Today talked to several who feared the technology could prove detrimental to current practices. Parents and caretakers attracted to the lure of using videogames as treatment may end up abandoning proven pharmacological and educational interventions.

So far, though, Owens has sold over 700 copies of the technology. "If it's done right, these things, in and of themselves, can be quite helpful," says Melbourne clinical psychologist Thomas Peake. "And kids are used to playing games and like them."

News-Source: http://xbox.1up.com